Could NC State Start a True Freshman at Center?
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The transfer portal changed the experience for freshman college football players in a big way. Now, many first-year players don't have a chance to compete for a starting position because of the additions a team makes through the portal.
North Carolina State has a unique position battle forming on the offensive line. Freshman interior lineman Spike Sowells, a highly touted recruit out of high school, has battled with graduate transfer center Jalen Grant for the starting job in the middle of the team's offensive line.
Experience or Raw Talent?
Sowells enrolled at NC State in January after spending significant time with the program, including traveling with the team to the 2024 Military Bowl, throughout the latter portions of the football season.
He was a star at Louisville Male High School, where he earned a four-star tag from 247Sports during the recruiting process. At 6-foot-2 and 312 pounds, Sowells is massive for a freshman. He dominated the competition in high school and earned a spot as a 2025 Navy All-American after recording 212 knockdowns across three seasons.
The freshman has already received recognition on a national stage as he showed up on a potential breakout stars list from 247Sports.
While all of the accolades and praise for Sowells is important and meaningful, he has yet to play a single snap in a college football game. Enter Jalen Grant, a graduate transfer from Purdue, entering his sixth season playing at the collegiate level.
Grant is slightly smaller than Sowells, but has the experience, and then some, that the freshman lacks as a center. Green started 39 games at Bowling Green and Purdue and played in 46.
In 2023, Grant helped Purdue rush for 2,029 yards, the program's highest mark since 2012.
Where the Battle Stands
Over the past few seasons, NC State offensive line coach Garett Tujague rolled with more experience at center, with Dylan McMahon starting for a pair of seasons and Zeke Correll getting reps in 2024.
However, given Sowells' size and profile, the freshman might have a shot at the position during the 2025 season if things don't go well for Grant in the first few weeks. As of now, the job is Grant's to lose, but things could change quickly in Raleigh.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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